Vindicate
by DessDezzie
Summary: Banned from going to basketball camp, Furihata accepts a summer job in a grand estate owned by a certain someone. Little did he know about the chain of events that would follow because of that decision. AkaFuri.
1. Chapter 1

Vindicate

**It's been such a long time since I've written something for FFnet. Like two years. *headbang* But between that time I was reading a gazillion fics (particularly Drrr! and Kurobasu lol) and I just got my writing mood back! Yay!**

**...But honestly, I wanted to cry at the measly number of fics of the couple, so I just had to put in my addiction. :D And above all, I want to thank lunaryu for getting me addicted to AkaFuri while I was reading Signal. So lunaryu, I dedicate this to you!**

**Disclaimer: Please. Me? Never...**

* * *

A fly buzzed past his right ear as Furihata stared at the tumultuous mansion that awaited him. Mansion couldn't even sum up the grandiose beauty the _estate_ held. It comprised of a _sukiya-zukuri_ that was noticeably renovated to add a touch of modernism as it was created out of metal and tinted glass, and several smaller constructions of the same style surrounding the main building. Between those edifices, well kept flora and fauna adorned the courtyards and the slate tiled paths.

_Don't just stare aimlessly like a dork! You have a job to do_! A voice at the back of his head sounding suspiciously like his mother reminded him of his work for the fifth time. Furihata heaved his largest sigh yet and plodded to the entrance of the center of the estate.

He would've gone to the annual Seirin summer camp if it were not for the fact that he didn't have the money for lodgings and food. Asking his mother just led to an ear deafening tirade about how useless he was and how he should be studying diligently for exams instead of going to 'the stupid good-for-nothing basketball thing' (And in front of Eri too!) Unfortunately for him, his easily swayed father was out on a business trip in Korea and wouldn't be back until _the day after the payment deadline_, leaving Furihata to explain pathetically to his seniors how couldn't join them plus an undeviating route to summer studying hell.

Luckily for the basketball player, his longtime crush, friend, and neighbor Eri helpfully offered him a way out of studying.

"Furihata-san, my friend's dad works as a cook in this estate around the outskirts of Kyoto and he says that they need a part-time gardener to help tend the gardens. I think it would be a great learning experience and beneficial to his future," the auburn haired girl tentatively pushed up her tortoise shaped glasses and glanced up calmly at Furihata's mother, who was still fuming.

"I don't see how being a gardener would get him a well paying job in the future," the older woman retorted.

"You see, Furihata-san, your son has average grades-"the said person coughed, "but it is enough to get into most of the universities in Japan. However, the thing that will certainly guarantee him into the best colleges is his excellent record of extra-curricular activities. If he gets to go to basketball camp, or the gardening job, the admissions officers would see him as a well rounded individual and accept him. After all, activities also play a large role in considering a student for admittance into university these days. I got into M University because of my contributions in drama." Eri carefully explained to his mother.

The housewife pursed her lips and stared at the floor, and she looked as if she were contemplating. Furihata glanced at Eri, sending off mental waves of gratitude and hope. That was one reason why he liked her so much; she helped him out of many tight situations.

"That seems to be a splendid idea," his mother grinned widely (a bit too wide, he noted later) "I think I will have Kouki spend the summer as a part-time gardener in Kyoto. It pays well, doesn't it?"

"I believe around 1500 yen each d-"

"Then what about basketball camp?! Why can't I go to summer camp?" Furihata all but shouted at his mother.

"You've had enough basketball in school, and it's time for you to do something else. You heard Eri, the job pays very well. Maybe you can pay for basketball camp by working there?" the older woman kept up her unsettling smile.

"That's impossible! The deadline is on Thursday and they're leaving later that night!"

"Too bad for you dear. Or unless you choose studying at home for the whole summer." In a flash of frustration, Furihata stormed out of the house with Eri hurriedly trailing behind him.

A warm hand settled upon his shoulder. The basketball player spun around to see Eri looking concerned at him; her eyes drooped to settle on the asphalt ground.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't get your mother to let you go to basketball camp, and I even forced a job that you don't want on you."

Furihata's lips curved halfway, reminiscent of a smile, "You already did a lot for me. And you got me out of studying hell."

"Thanks for raising my spirits, although I can't do the same to you." Eri chuckled half-heartedly and ruffled the younger person's hair.

"I have to go back to the university tomorrow morning, so I'll be leaving now. Now, don't look so dejected, it makes me sad too. At least you're going to have a lot of money to spend by the beginning of the school year. I promise I'll make the gardening job easy for you. Oh, and-"she lowered her volume, "the owners of the place you're working at own this big company, so they're really rich and stuff, and they provide a lot of services for their employees. You won't have to go and spend money on paying rent for a place in Kyoto because you'll be allowed to stay in the estate. …I hope what I told you has made you feel better." After embracing him and saying goodbye, the girl walked past the silent boy back home.

Her thoughts wandering, Eri worried for Furihata. He was easily nervous and dependent, but maybe the gardening job would change that for him.

* * *

Furihata blinked rapidly as he bumped into the column right of the entrance. He stepped back, rapping twice upon the dyed wood door. It slid open to reveal a stately elder man, ready to welcome him.

"How may I help you, young man?" The butler scrutinized the younger boy's stricken expression.

"Umm…I'm the new part-time gardener for this place. If you're not sure, here's the contract!" He fished out a crumpled word document and handed it to the other person hastily. The man adjusted his glasses, eyes skimming over the typed words before resting at the bottom of the page where it lay upon the messy signature of agreement.

"I see. Please follow me." The elderly butler gestured Furihata to come in.

Furihata stepped into the mansion only to gape at the simple and elegant foyer, which looked like it came out of an interior design magazine. At the center of the room, there was a square spiral staircase with floating steel steps that ended at an open concept balcony. A soft forest-like smell assaulted his nose, and he looked to the left to see a small fragrance oil burner perched upon the ground. How wealthy the owners of the estate are anyways, the point guard wondered as he followed the man through the maze-like hallways, brushing his finger on the plain white walls and looking out windows to view the gardens.

The man led him outside of the main house and through the gardens near a small house. An unkempt person wearing a large straw hat and overalls waved as the two people approached.

"Hello!" he bowed respectfully to the butler and Furihata, in which they returned, "Is this about the gardening job?"

"Yes, and here is the new replacement," he replied, gesturing to the boy.

"Hello. My name is Furihata Kouki, and I hope we can get along very well!"

The butler adjusted his glasses, "Well then, I will leave you two to sort out the details in the work."

Furihata watched as the person left, and turned to give a nervous smile at the other.

"People say that I'm a good judge of character, and by looking at you, I can tell that you're a nice boy. My name's Ishida Saburo; it's nice to meet you!" Ishida-san held out a hand that Furihata politely shook. His coworker didn't seem too uncooperative, which was a very good attribute in his eyes.

"Thank you for the compliment, Ishida-san. I only know how to do the basics of gardening, though."

"It's fine! The work isn't too difficult here, so you don't have anything to worry about. I'm not really a good teacher but I can guide you by having you working alongside me." The person went inside the little building for a moment and came out holding a pair of overalls and a box filled with gardening tools. He held it out to Furihata, who took them and almost collapsed from the bulk of the box.

"The box is really heavy. As for the tools, will we be using them everyday?"

"Unfortunately yes, we will be. However, we're not going to use all of them at once, and you'll get used to the weight of the box in no time!"

The words sounded strangely comforting in Furihata's head. At least, gardening didn't seem as strenuous as basketball practice.

Ishida-san pointed to a line of bushes, "So the part we work on is from this end to the other!" he trailed his finger along the line to the other end of the estate, "Not too much!"

A bead of sweat trickled down Furihata's cheek. Basketball practice seemed a like playtime now.

* * *

After 2 hours working outside in the gardens, Furihata felt like a puddle of goo already. Luckily for him, the job he was required to do was pretty easy to grasp. His work generally consisted of pruning out weeds and trimming the bushes, but he hadn't expected that such mundane tasks would drive him into the brinks of exhaustion. Damn the stupid sun and Ishida-san's misleading words.

In the midst of the tranquil silence only found in a secluded summer estate, the sound of a car's engine pierced the air. Furihata's head popped up from the rose bush he was trimming. Ishida turned to the source of the sound and grinned.

"The masters of the house are back! Want to see who they are, Furihata-kun?"

The younger boy blinked. He had forgotten about the fact that he had no idea what the owners of the mansion looked like. They most likely looked as if they were the epitome of the aristocratic class today, designer clothes, fancy car, snobby attitude and all, he thought as he followed Ishida-san to the main entrance of the place.

As he reached the familiar gateway of the grand estate, Furihata noted that his guess that the owners had a fancy car was correct. Actually, more than correct. The car was absolutely amazing! He had seen this model on the front covers of various car magazines every time he visited the convenience store. So preoccupied was he over the details of the car that he almost forgot the people riding in it. The basketball player jumped as a man and a woman exited the vehicle and instantly flanked by bodyguards. Both people were within their middle ages, but were still very physically attractive and each carried a powerful yet charismatic aura that Furihata was immediately attracted to.

"They're the holders of the most powerful electronics corporation in Japan!" Ishida-san helpfully supplied, "And they have a son that's going to inherit it all rightfully. Such a dear young lad he is."

"So who is he?"

"He's around the same age as you and goes to the high school nearby here, which is also famous for- Oh look, he's getting out of the car now!"

Furihata craned his head to look closer at the mystery heir emerging from the car. Crimson hair, Rakuzan uniform, intimidating aura, and heterochromatic eyes. His blood went cold. This was someone he would never be able to disregard for the entire expense of his life.

Akashi Seijuurou.

This was really turning out to be a great summer.

* * *

**First chapter done! How was it? I hope it was interesting for you all, and I hope I haven't turned you all off with the horrendous writing lol.**

**So I just wanted to make a warning for all of you before you scream at me to update: I MAY NOT BE UPDATING THIS AS FREQUENTLY AS YOU HOPE. Exams (aka SAT and AP) are coming up for me, and I really need to use these months to study really hard. So it might not be surprising if my next update would be after AP exams or at the beginning of summer. But don't worry, I'll still write as much as I can between those times. AkaFuri FTW!**

**Dess**


	2. Chapter 2

Vindicate (Chp.2)

**A/N: Hey, I'm back with the next chapter! It's exactly a month since I posted my first chapter lol. Anyways, just finished my SATs and now awaiting for a score, so with the little time I had I decided to post this. :) It's a bit shorter than the last chapter, but I hope you enjoy this update just as much!**

* * *

Furihata couldn't help himself. He gaped like a dope. The infamous wielder of the Emperor's Eye was standing a mere few meters away from him, with an awesome car nonetheless! Suddenly, Furihata felt a wave of depression washing through him. Akashi had everything Furihata wished for: a majestic home, cool parents, and a job laid out for him in the future. Eri would certainly marry him if he had all those. But then again, she did say that she would date him if he became number one in Japan.

To be truthful, he originally didn't have any inclination to continue basketball in high school. Getting Eri as his girlfriend was the reason why he joined basketball when he entered Seirin. They were neighbors ever since he was a child, and since he had no other siblings, Eri was the older sister that he looked up to. Over time, his vision of Eri morphed from a caring sister to the girl of his dreams. Once after a middle school basketball game, she had joked to him once about being his girlfriend if he had become number one of basketball in Japan during high school, he would consider dating him. However, Furihata took the declaration seriously and was the first freshman to sign up for the team.

Unlike Kagami, Kuroko, or any of his seniors, Furihata had no outstanding basketball talent. To him, the sport was a hobby that he had kept for years and his method to prove Eri-chan that he was someone worthy to date. However, he still worked just as hard as everyone else during basketball practice. Watching everyone play their best at the matches helped Furihata realize how much he truly loved basketball, and being a part of Seirin's basketball team was a voluntary decision now.

Furihata tensed as Akashi and his parents approached the area he was standing at with Ishida. He really didn't want to have an encounter with Akashi, even if the other person had no idea who he was. Much to his relief, his parents and him completely ignored his existence as they walked past Furihata. He let out a relieved sigh and turned to Ishida-san.

"I wish you'd tell me sooner who they were! I know who the son is; he's one of the Generation of Miracles!"

"I was about to explain, but you were really distracted. And what generation were you talking about?" The elder gardener scratched his head.

"Oh, sorry. It's just something within our basketball world."

"I didn't know you could play basketball! You should go one-on-one with him sometime! I heard he's okay at the sport."

"I…never mind."

Finally, Furihata survived an entire day of toiling and laboring of trimming bushes and picking out weeds. Relaxing in the plush couch inside his contemporary lodgings, he felt like a person bathing in luxury. The Akashi family were certainly very generous to their own employees, he mused.

Furihata was constantly in awe of the life of wealthy people. It wasn't that his parents were poor and couldn't provide him enough food and shelter; it was the glaringly obvious fact that Furihata lived a very average life. He'd wake up wondering if anything interesting would befall upon him and go to bed disappointed. Granted, the basketball matches Seirin played against other teams gave him something to think about in his very average life, but essentially Furihata hoped that his life could be more eventful. Did wealthy people have the dramatic tension within the family that he constantly watched in soap operas? How about the secret stashes of treasure stored under the cellars that were once used to function as prisons for people that went against their family? Then was there always an illegitimate child that the master of the house had with the housemaid?

A knock startled the basketball player and he reddened at his outrageous train of thought. Fixing his clothes, he went to answer the interruption. Surprisingly, a red haired boy greeted him at the other side of the door.

"… Akashi Seijuurou?!"

Without missing a beat, said person brushed past Furihata and stopped at the middle of his room, Emperor's eyes scanning its surroundings.

"In less than a day, you've managed to completely mess up this room simply by throwing your belongings all over the place," he pointed out after a moment of silence (_awkward_ silence, on Furihata's part).

"I-I'm just too tired to clean up my stuff right now! And why are you even in my room in the first place?"

"I'm the son of the owner of this place, in case if you forgot."

Furihata fidgeted as the heterochromatic eyes bored into him, and the owner of those eyes settled himself comfortably upon the very couch Furihata occupied a while ago. Furihata himself stood there, unsure whether to sit next to Akashi.

"What brings you to my summer estate, Kouki?"

_He's not using my surname!_ Furihata blinked at the sudden familiarity Akashi was using.

"Um…I have a summer job as a gardener here," Furihata hastily rubbed at the back of his neck.

A maroon eyebrow twitched. "No basketball camp in Seirin this year?"

"My mom didn't let me go."

"I see," Akashi moved so that he was seated at one end of the beige suede couch, "You can take a seat here you know." The other person coughed self consciously and sat, making sure that he was on the farthest end from Akashi.

"So…Um…Do you have basketball camp too?" Furihata tentatively questioned, hoping to ease the awkwardness in the atmosphere.

"I don't need to waste my time to interact with the others. They understand that if they do not perform well, I will make sure that they know their place."

He stared disbelievingly at the relaxed form of the captain. The other Rakuzan players must be absolutely terrified of him. Akashi was one of the creepiest people that Furihata ever met in his average life, he thought.

"Besides," the red haired continued, "I would like to spend time with my family."

Another moment of silence passed, and Furihata glared at the floor as if it would swallow him up whole. He must have gotten his observations incorrect. After Akashi's statement, all thoughts of Akashi being a rich heir that had a foul family history and bitter because of the situation vanished within his mind. Why was Akashi treating him so courteously? After all, the last time Furihata saw him he left a very lasting impression upon the Seirin player. He had so many questions bubbling inside of him that he wanted to address to Akashi, but only mere silence escaped his mouth.

"…This silence is very awkward," he managed to stutter out.

"I believe that is merely your thinking. You are welcome to ask questions to ease this so aforementioned awkward quietness," he said.

_I-I can? _Furihata leapt at the opportunity to question Akashi.

"Why are you being so polite to me?" he spoke out loud, "We're supposed to be rivals, but mainly I'm just really surprised that you're willing to find company with me."

Akashi turned to give him a look and smirked.

"I do recognize you, you know. I know everyone from Tetsuya's team and the rest of the Generation of Miracles' too. It is necessary to understand one's rivals in basketball. Besides, it is nice to talk to someone that is also a point guard, even if our skills are on completely different levels."

"Um, yeah…Thanks. For the compliment I mean." Furihata opened his mouth to ask another question, but the Rakuzan basketball captain suddenly stood up. He walked over to the wooden door and opened it, preparing to leave. However, he turned around and opened his mouth.

"You know, you're a pretty interesting person. Expect me to hang around you for the rest of the summer." And without another word, Akashi left and closed the door, leaving Furihata speechless.

"...Bye?" he replied long after Akashi left. What was the meaning of his visit in the first place? Furihata quickly rewound the sudden meeting with the red haired. There were even more questions that he wanted Akashi to answer more than ever. Head spinning, Furihata decided to sleep on it and think about the event tomorrow.

Little did he know that Akashi's words were a signal to the beginning of an unlikely friendship.

* * *

**A/N: Heehee~ So Akashi shows up now, and we have some interaction between the two! Stay tuned for the next update! (I bet the plot's not going to be what you thought haha!)**

**Dess**


	3. Chapter 3

Vindicate (Chp. 3)

**A/N: Yo, I'm back! Sorry for the later update, life got to me. Went to JAPAN (*smiles gleefully*), got my terrible SAT scores, and am still studying for AP exams. TT_TT**

**Here's a longer chapter to make it up to you. Hope you like!**

* * *

The whole summer passed like a breeze in Furihata's perspective. The temperature became hotter and hotter as the weeks went by, but Furihata worked his best so he could maintain his physique for basketball. Eventually, he managed to become quite adept at gardening, though he had trouble adjusting to the harsh work the job required. The gardening job helped improve his and Ishida-san's relations, and they were so friendly to the point where Furihata attempted to teach him basketball at the mansion's basketball court. Of course, Ishida-san wasn't very good at it, much to the seasoned basketball player's prediction. Throughout the break, Furihata also memorized the layout of the mansion and knew it from front to back, given his secret hobby of collecting rocks that looked appealing to him. He also ended up having good relations with some of the other employees that worked in the Akashi mansion and a slight affection of one of the maids that looked a bit like Eri-chan. Akashi constantly poked fun at him on that topic.

Speaking of Akashi, he kept to his word and continued to visit to talk to Furihata. The two became surprisingly fast friends due to their similar positions that they played in basketball and the fact that either of them didn't really have much to do outside of their normal work during the holidays. Furihata realized that while Akashi maintained a terrifying composure to the Japanese high school basketball circle, he was considerably milder in personality when faced with his family. However, Furihata noticed that when Akashi interacted with his parents (quite comfortably, he should add), his parents visibly encouraged the redhead to keep a cool and professional façade to others so that the Akashi Corporation would not be tainted of their reputation. He wasn't an exception of Akashi's two sided personality, given the various times Akashi had bossed him around with random tasks.

Over the summer, he ended up playing a lot of one-on-one matches against him and learned how terrifyingly skilled Akashi could be even when not with the Rakuzan basketball team. Most matches ended up with Furihata cowering under Akashi's intimidating yet mischievous gaze with and the score difference of 80, much to the Seirin player's dismay. By the forceful urging of Akashi, Furihata also ended up being on the opposite end of the captain's shogi board with no clue how to play against him. At least he grasped the basics of the board game after multiple matches against Akashi over the summer break.

Furihata watered the orchids within the main greenhouse as the sun peeked out from the lightening horizon. He smiled contently, making sure that the leaves were not wet. This task was the best part out of his gardening job because of two main reasons. First, watering plants in silence with the warmth of the sun slowly spreading in his body delved Furihata into a philosophical mood, thinking about life and society and such. The place was also where the Seirin player discovered the most about himself. Also, orchids were his favorite flower. His mother brought him to a local flower market where he enlightened himself to the orchid flower for the first time. Refusing to budge for twenty minutes, he stood there staring at the ethereal form of the plants and the contrastingly fitting mix of colors. He had begged his mother to buy one of those flowers, but she replied exasperated that it was too expensive and high maintenance for her to entrust him with the complicated task of keeping an orchid. Depressed at the refusal, Furihata hoped to one day obtain the chance of owning an orchid. Maybe he should ask Akashi to let him have one from the greenhouse…

"Hey," a voice behind him said stoically, and Furihata almost drowned the _Phalaenopsis_ he was currently watering.

"Don't scare me like that! I'll ruin the orchids," the person yelped. Akashi gave a little chuckle and patted Furihata's shoulder as a sign of greeting.

"They will be fine. After all, I can always replace them."

The Seirin point guard rolled his eyes. It was a habit that he adopted after getting to know Akashi. The redhead tended to say things that only a snob from a highly prestigious heritage would. Furihata wanted to retort back, but unfortunately for him, everything Akashi said, Akashi could do.

"This is not the reason that I am here though," the Rakuzan captain smoothly continued, "I have a request for you."

"Eh?!" Furihata dropped his watering can. Did Akashi just _request_ him? He rubbed his eyes; Akashi would never request him of anything, only command. Furihata calmed down enough to listen clearly to what he wanted to request.

"Go to the upcoming festival today with me. You are not allowed to decline in any way."

The Seirin player's mood lifted with each word of the first sentence, and had his hopes dashed when Akashi mentioned that Furihata was not permitted to decline. Maybe one day Akashi would not order him around, but the event seemed much too far away in his eyes.

"Oh…" Furihata opened his mouth to speak, "I didn't know that there was a festival today, "he finished lamely.

"It doesn't matter, you're coming with me," the redhead concluded. So there was never a choice for Furihata in the first place. Akashi and his stupid superiority complex.

"What did you just say?" Akashi turned around with his Emperor's Eye flaming brightly. Did he just say that out loud?

"Ah…Nothing, nothing at all! Just let me finish my work for today first."

"…Very well. Meet me by the main gate at 8 o'clock sharp."

Furihata dashed past the voluminous gardens of the Akashi mansion while hastily putting on his outerwear. Why were the gardens so damn long?! He prayed to all the gods that he was not late for Akashi's appointment because he was absolutely certain that the Rakuzan captain would kill him if he was. He had experienced it before, and it was _not_ a pleasant feeling at all. Furihata agreed to a one-on-one with Akashi on a Saturday morning, but he had overslept. _Really overslept_. Once he got down to the court, Akashi was tapping his foot with a blank expression and a pair of scissors stuck within a deflated basketball. The redhead then proceeded to knock him out and cut up his shoes and socks while he was unconscious. He shuddered; that was something he didn't want to experience ever again. Seeing the silhouette of the lavishly designed gates, Furihata rushed forward faster than ever, hoping to not see a figure with carmine hair waiting for him.

But unfortunately for Furihata, Akashi was already there waiting.

"You're two minutes late," he sternly spoke.

"I'm sorry!" he huffed out, "I got delayed because-"

"I don't want or need to hear your dismal excuses. Get in the car or we'll waste even more time." Instantly, a polished and expensive car rode up to greet the two boys, and Akashi entered the vehicle as the driver silently opened the door for him. Gulping, Furihata followed the other person.

"By the way, your fly is completely unzipped. I can even see the color of your boxers."

Furihata didn't know whether his face now resembled a tomato or a cherry. Neither said another word during the ride to the festival.

After half an hour, the car halted in front of a bustling fair. Akashi promptly descended the vehicle while Furihata stared at the flourish of life, getting off the car in a mystified daze. It was the first time he had ever been to such a large festival, having only gone to small local ones before. Numerous stalls lined the area in neat little rows, each bustling with people of all ages. The Seirin player timidly trailed after the captain, eyes greedily absorbing in the attractions. To his left, salespeople standing in front of their respective stall handed out miniscule food samples for people to taste, while at his right, people lined up to play the mini-games the different booths offered. Incessant chatter filled his ears, and a small girl holding a balloon brushed past his legs to get to the booth she wanted to go to, followed by her worrying parent. Akashi merely breezed past the crowd and salesmen as if he had a target place in mind. Sure enough, the redhead suddenly paused, accidentally knocking against Furihata.

"What are you stopping for?" Furihata asked, and glanced down to see several young children gathered around a large shallow tank of goldfish. Each child was deep in thought as they strategized to catch a goldfish without breaking their paper net.

"When I was just a child, my parents would take us to a festival each year. They'd always bring me to the goldfish stall first. I gained a lot of experience catching goldfish because of that," Akashi grinned. Furihata simply raised an eyebrow in response.

"Well, I am the self proclaimed master in catching goldfish, if you would like to know. It was a childhood pastime when I was younger."

Akashi's grin curled up deviously, "Then let's see who would catch the most goldfish using five nets." He rolled up the sleeves in his shirt.

"Bring it on."

Furihata tentatively waited as Akashi paid for the nets. He scuttled over to the tank, already observing prospective fish he could catch. The captain returned with ten paper nets, of which he handed over half to Furihata.

"Ready? 3, 2, 1, go!" the Seirin player cried. Both turned silent, holding a net in their hand and following the movements of the fish.

After a long while, both players stared distrustfully at the other as each held their respective bowls of goldfish they caught. Carefully switching the baskets, Furihata took hold of Akashi's blue container and began counting the fish that were swimming without a care in the world. He muttered to himself; he should recount them to make sure that the amount was correct.

Once finishing the fifth count, Furihata tentatively spoke out, "It's 16 goldfish." The Seirin player looked closely at Akashi's reaction to his words. Instead, the redhead became silent after the other boy's words. His gaze shifted from looking directly at Furihata to the tree behind his shoulder.

"…17 fish," he muttered quietly. Furihata's mood lifted; he had never believed that he would win at something against the 'unconquerable' Emperor. He let out an energized whoop of joy, almost spilling the container of fish he held in his arms.

"I won! I won, I won, I won, I won, I won! I won against _the_ Akashi Seijurouu!"

"Hmph. But you'll never beat me at basketball." Akashi promptly snatched the bowl from Furihata and gave it to the owner of the goldfish stall, who quickly dropped the fish into an air bloated plastic bag filled with water. Holding his hard-earned victory up in the air, the brunette prepared to leave, but not before noticing Akashi was handing his bag of fish to a crying young boy. The little boy instantly stopped his expression of grief and shyly returned a thank you to the captain, after the gentle urging of his mother. Furihata smiled at the kind gesture. This was the first time he saw a side of Akashi that he had never knew existed before after getting acquainted with him this summer.

"Hey," he called out as he calmly walked over to the three figures, "take my bag of fish too. It contains one more fish than what this person just gave you." He smiled, which turned into a full blown smirk as he turned to watch Akashi's annoyed expression. The two basketball players waved a goodbye to the duo and followed the main road of the festival.

"I've never thought of you as a nice person," Furihata noted.

"That's just because you're really dense, and you don't deserve the same amount of kindness that I gave the boy," he leered jokingly.

"Oi!"

The two played a few more mini-games and ate more famous snacks of Kyoto. Furihata discovered that apart from the goldfish activity, Akashi excelled much more at the rest when compared to him. He was an expert at shooting moving targets which he claimed his excellence was due to his lessons in archery, but Furihata suspected that it also had something to do with his Emperor's eye. Akashi won a set of top-to-bottom squirrel pajamas in the game and gave Furihata them as a joke. As for the Seirin player, he found his little paradise as the two went over to the food section of the festival. Furihata managed to taste _authentic_ famous Kyoto snacks, such as _matcha_ and its flavored treats (he particularly liked the _matcha_ ice cream), baked and raw _Yatsuhashi_, and his favorite sweet, _wagashi_. He'll never be able to eat Kyoto snacks back at Tokyo now, after sampling and comparing the quality of the food between the two cities. Furihata trailed behind the captain, munching on his second _kinton_.

Up front ahead, there was a great crowd clustered around a little area in the central square of the event. Curious, Akashi and Furihata headed closer to see what all the commotion was. A middle-aged man was standing in an arena and wailing piteously to a sad song while the audience plastered smiles and applauded gratefully when he stepped off the stage after finishing his song. The emcee, a bubbly young adult, stepped onto the wooden platform.

"Who would like to sing next for our karaoke contest?!" she yelled out to the cheering horde. Countless hands were raised and in the peak of the moment, Furihata grabbed Akashi's arm and raised it high into the air.

"The boy with the red hair, please come up to the stage!"

With a gleeful yet horror filled grin, Furihata felt a dangerous aura directed at him creeping behind Akashi until it was extinguished as other people surrounding the carmine haired excitedly ushered him up onto the platform.

The crowd waited patiently as Akashi hesitantly scrolled to choose a song from the karaoke machine, and after deciding on one he confidently took the microphone the emcee delightfully handed to him. Furihata anticipated hearing what Akashi had chosen to sing to his audience.

The hollow drums of the _taiko_ blasted against Furihata's eardrums and to his horror, he realized that Akashi had chosen a traditional song. An _old_ song. The elder audience would most likely have a field day commenting on his performance.

However, all the negative remarks about Akashi faded once he began to sing. Furihata's eyes widened. The redhead's voice could be compared to pure heaven. Every note flowed smoothly along with the song not dissimilar to a gentle stream, Furihata compared. The longer he sang entranced the audience even more, taking note of their sudden silence. Disregard the odd beat of the peculiar musical piece Akashi chose; he could truly be a professional singer if he contained a passion for the subject equal to that of basketball.

As the diminuendo of Akashi's tenor voice faded into silence, the Seirin player watched contently when a bustle of middle aged women clustered around the captain as he stepped off the wooden stage asking for his autograph and singing history. He laughed while Akashi fended off their enlivened questions with a courteous smile; Akashi was truly a natural in so many aspects. Finally, the redhead approached him with his usual demeanor, yet a gleam in his eyes softened his features. Gesturing for Furihata to follow, Akashi strolled over to the exit where the same polished black car awaited him.

"It's getting pretty late. Why not stay over at my place just for tonight?" the captain suddenly asked, breaking the silence in the car.

"Tonight?! I don't think it would be a good idea. Wouldn't I be disturbing your parents or something?"

Akashi spun his head so that his view changed from the outside surroundings to Furihata's astounded face.

"You get a once in a lifetime chance to stay in the Akashi mansion and its private rooms, you know."

Not missing a beat, Furihata readily agreed.

Furihata's yawn felt like it had split his head into two. For half an hour, he stood inside Akashi's bedroom (which was practically indistinguishable from the other guest rooms apart from the red bed sheets and the shogi board and basketball sitting in the corner) while two of the maids prepared a smaller bed next to the captain's. The car did not stop by Furihata's place as it headed to the main mansion, so he was forced to wear the embarrassing squirrel pajamas Akashi won for him as a present. The redhead had chuckled when the Seirin point guard presented himself, but his unsurprised expression made Furihata suspect that it was intended that the car did not stop by his lodgings.

Finally resting after the tumultuous events of the festival, Furihata laid awkwardly on the comfy guest bed right of Akashi's. Even though he desired to have a good night's sleep, there was something about slumbering in the same room as the redhead prevented Furihata from doing so. He shifted to the side so that the large lump of blankets that was Akashi loomed into view. The captain's breath sounded far too rapid compared to the even snooze of a dozed off person. He must be as restless as Furihata felt right now.

"…Akashi-kun?"

"Mhm," the redhead replied after a short period of silence.

"Are you awake?"

"If I was, I wouldn't be talking to you right now."

"Oh. That was a stupid question to ask," Furihata laughed softly and cast his gaze to the ceiling, "You know, I expected this summer to be the worst summer ever, but it wasn't.

"This was the first time I spent summer without my team after getting into Seirin, so when my mom forced me to get this job, I was really pissed off about it. After all, I could've improved a lot more in basketball if I went to camp with them. I guess it still holds true, but after meeting you, you helped make this summer much more enjoyable. My analysis of you changed as a result of that, and I also learned a lot more about you. …So, I just wanted to say, thanks. For being my best friend."

There was no reply from the next bed. The captain must've been asleep already. Just as unconsciousness began to creep over him, Furihata heard a muffled reply.

"…Me too."

* * *

**A/N: Hehehe...They're getting closer! Woot! Stay tuned for the next; it'll rock your boots! (WTF?!)**

**Dess**


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